1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector and flat flexible cable assembly.
2. Brief Description of Prior Developments
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,605 discloses an electrical connector with an interlocking living hinge. Electrical contacts which are post loaded onto flexible flat conductor cable (FFC) or flexible printed circuit cable (FPC) are known in the art.
In the automotive industry wiring frames with connector pockets or cavities for receiving electrical connector assemblies are used for the manufacturing of automotive wiring harnesses. During assembly, wires with terminals pre-attached to both ends, are routed, one at a time, from one connector to another in accordance with the wiring schematic. This method of assembly has proven to be low cost, effective in handling circuit complexity, and flexible in accommodating circuit changes without redesigning the harness.
As automobiles have gotten smaller and electrical/electronic content has increased, it has become more difficult to find space within the vehicle to route the increasingly larger wire harnesses. One method used to overcome this dilemma is to use flat flex cable (FFC) or flexible printed circuits (FPC) in place of discrete wires to save space and weight.
In the past, the accepted method to form an automotive wire harness using FFC or FPC was to use an automated mass termination system for attaching the terminals to the conductors and assembly the connector. However, such an automated mass terminations system requires a relatively large capital investment to purchase the automated assembly machinery. In addition, the automated systems have difficulty handling the more complex harnesses and circuit changes may be difficult, or impossible, to accommodate. The relative large capital investment and limited flexibility of the automated mass termination systems have limited its success in automotive applications. However, there is still a desire by automobile manufacturers to use FFC/FPC technology to manufacture wire harnesses in order to save weight and space.
There is a need for a wire harness which can be inserted into smaller areas of the automobile during the assembly line process, but which can be manufactured relatively easily for low-volume and high-volume quantities and without a relatively large capital investment of assembly machinery.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, an electrical connector housing is provided including a main body having a receiving area which is sized and shaped to receive a flat conductor cable with contacts attached thereto into the receiving area; and a locking section connected to the main body by a living hinge. The locking section comprising a front end and a rear end. When the locking section is inserted into a receiving aperture of the main body, the front end is adapted to block withdrawal of at least one of the contacts located in the receiving area and, the rear end includes at least one strain relief projection which is sized and shaped to press the flat conductor cable against the main body to form a strain relief for the cable.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, an electrical connector assembly is provided comprising a flat conductor cable; electrical contacts attached to the cable; and a housing having the contacts and a portion of the cable located therein. The housing comprising a main body, a locking section and a living hinge connecting the locking section to the main body. The locking section is insertable into a receiving aperture in the main body with a front end of the locking section blocking withdrawal of the contacts from the housing and a rear end of the locking section clamping the flat conductor cable against the main body to form a strain relief for the cable.
In accordance with one method of the present invention, a method of assembling an electrical connector comprising steps of connecting electrical contacts to a flat conductor cable; inserting the contacts and a portion of the flat conductor cable into a main section of a connector housing; inserting a locking section of the connector housing into a receiving aperture of the main section, the connector housing comprising a living hinge which connects the locking section to the main section, wherein the step of inserting the locking section comprises bending the living hinge; and clamping a portion of the flat conductor cable between the main section and the locking section when the locking section is inserted into the connector housing to form a strain relief for the flat conductor cable.